


Chapter Fourteen: Somebody Told Me

by CavalierConvoy



Series: MTMTE Series One: Shoot Straight with a Crooked Gun [15]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One), Transformers Generation One, Transformers Generation Two, Transformers: Beast Machines, Transformers: Beast Wars
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Missions Gone Wrong, Other, Quantum Mechanics, Rescue Missions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-21
Updated: 2015-02-21
Packaged: 2018-03-14 11:16:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3408581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CavalierConvoy/pseuds/CavalierConvoy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Three hundred years from now, Starscream learns the disadvantages of hacking a malfunctioning quantum generator he has no business tinkering with, and, three years ago, Skyfire works out a plan with his team, including a contingency to destroy the <i>Warworld</i> in the inevitable case that Starscream did in fact betray them, losing their best chance to locate and bring back Hot Rod.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Chapter Fourteen: Somebody Told Me

Breaking my back just to know your name  
Seventeen tracks and I've had it with this game  
I'm breaking my back just to know your name  
But heaven ain't close in a place like this  
Anything goes but don't blink you might miss

\-- ["Somebody Told Me"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5fBdpreJiU) by The Killers, from _Hot Fuss_

Cybertropolis  
Iacon District  
Three Hundred Years from Now, Two Decacycles Ago

"I need to know," Pantera muttered, "was that my own memory? You said I was a storyteller, but I've always been private. I don't tell stories."

_"You were guarded. The others didn't pick it up, but some of us did. You stuck to the facts, mostly the comic aspects, the more exciting battles. You always threw in the 'Primus, I —'"_

"'—sound like Kup'," she finished the statement. "This ship's Artemis's memories are bleeding into mine."

_"I can't tell you; that's above my pay grade. I'm sorry."_

"One thing's for certain," Pantera stalked the dark corridor, "I'm betting she'd want to get to the bottom of this just as much as I do."

_"She'd be leading the charge."_

Pantera stopped, weighing her next words. "Were you and this ship's Artemis _amicae endurae_?"

_"We were close, yeah."_

"How did we meet?" She continued on her way.

_"Two sols into the mission, we were in the same cell in the brig to dry out. Could say that it was Magnus's fault we met. We were then both assigned to work under Red Alert in security — that was always worth a laugh or three, your words."_

"Thank you."

_"For what?"_

"Keeping me company. I don't normally do well with ghosts, but you've been a help, keeping me grounded."

A searing pain stabbed her head, just above her optic. She hissed, pressing a hand against her brow. "Slaggit!"

_"Art, what is it?"_

"I never asked you your name," she growled, rubbing her head. 

_"Trailbreaker. The force field guy."_ The second part was delivered with sarcasm.

One of Optimus's crew, twenty sols before she joined with Rodimus on Earth; she knew that much. "Trailbreaker: defender, protector, source of encouragement, and drinking partner. It's nice to meet you again."

There was silence for the better part of a cycle. _"The engine room is down this corridor. All I know about it is that it runs a quantum generator of unknown origin. I could never tell if whether or not Brainstorm and Perceptor were flirting whenever they speculated how it worked."_

"That's...not exactly a good thing if Perceptor didn't know how it worked."

_"It's a ship — how many of us know how an engine works beyond the basics?"_

"Point."

"Who are you talking to?"

_"Oh, scrap, the Air Commander's in control."_

"A helpful ghost, unlike some others I know," she snapped, entering the room. There was little to the engines: it could have been a server bank, or a storage facility. "'Never stand by a quantum generator when it's about to flaunt the laws of physics,'" Pantera quoted, staring up at the grey block in the centre of the room. Starscream peeked around the corner, brow arched.

"Double memories?" he questioned. "It'll probably get worse the closer you stand next to the block. I've got Sky figuring out how to shut them down permanently."

She lost her retort, allowing the hammer to slide off her shoulder as she dropped her arms to her side. "Excuse me?"

Starscream sighed. "Leave the science to us and keep an optic open for distractions. Once we start the shutdown, it can't be interrupted."

"It's affecting you too, isn't it?" She questioned. "The generator."

Starscream considered her question. "I'd imagine it is; no one's immune, really. But you really should stay away from the block." He pointed to a faded yellow line on the floor. "If logic serves, that's the safety line; keep behind that and watch for distractions."

No insults, no name-calling, no arguments. Backing away from the generator, she swung the hammer into a two-handed grip and paced in front of the door.

"It's how he was before," she explained to Trailbreaker.

_"Before he lost Skyfire?"_

Pantera's head snapped up.

_"Sky ran with us on Earth, Art, with Optimus — Prime, that is. We saw what happened. Broke his spark when he realised what Screamer had become."_

"Yes," she whispered. "It's how he was, before the Decepticons."

*

Delphi Outpost  
Messatine  
Three Stels Ago

The _Little Revenge_ had masked their signature in the case of Legion stragglers, running the numbers of a Sirian medical ship under the name _Howl's Blessing_ , delivering supplies; they landed on the main pad on the roof of the outpost. Sandstorm and Cavalier were the front mechs of the operation, as Sandstorm had medical training — a necessity as Paradron had been a medical hub for their corner of the Arm, although he would say he only knew enough to be dangerous — and Cavalier could pull off the plucky nurse act, as so long as she kept her mouth shut.

Which failed when she saw Artemis's battered shell.

"What the frag happened to you?" the Minibot demanded; Sandstorm gave her a swift slap upside her helm. 

"I don't want to talk about it." Artemis at least had her mobility, but she refused cosmetic treatment; she would worry about that when she returned to Cybertron, after they took care of matters.

"So what happened in general terms?" Sandstorm questioned, taking up her left as Skyfire, her right. Cavalier took the rear.

"Our plan failed," Artemis growled, "because someone else had implemented his own."

"We should have scrapped him when we got the chance," Sandstorm growled. 

Artemis shook her head. "What happens when plans fail; we find alternate plans."

"Besides, we can't kill the gashole or else he pulls slag like what he did to Sky and Art back on Earth," Cavalier explained.

"Thanks for the reminder," Artemis growled. "Sky, would you do the honours?"

"We'll be returning to Cybertron to head off Starscream," Skyfire stated, "where we will stay in orbit until the _Warworld_ enters Cybertron space. Artemis and I will board the _Warworld_ and ... negotiate ... matters if Starscream's plan does take fruition."

"So what did he do?" Sandstorm demanded as they boarded the _Little Revenge_. 

"Tossed me off the ship. Literally." Artemis took the captain's chair, slouching. "Primus, I need a drink."

"At least you have your priorities straight, babe," Octane chuckled, patting her shoulder. "You look like you took on the entire roster of Kaon gladiators."

"I look worse than I am," she assured, although she doubted her own observation. She leaned back, head bowed, rubbed her optics. "I'm still exhausted."

"What do you expect?" Standstorm demanded. "From what Sky told us, you were beaten within a millimetre from your spark, then thrown out of a moving ship!"

"And if it weren't for Sky — wait, Sky, how the hell did you know where the ship was?" Octane demanded.

"He followed it. Duh." Cavalier snapped.

"Without the Legion tracking him? Granted, they might not know the ship, but still...."

Skyfire's shoulders slumped. "It was my fault Artemis was captured."

"No, it was Starscream's fault," Artemis corrected. "Stop blaming yourself. If anything, just stop blaming yourself."

Cavalier looked up at the giant, then back at Artemis. "Wait, what happened?"

"Other than the obvious?" Sandstorm shrugged. "Are you certain there's nothing we can do with Starscream when we get our hands on him again? We can't kill him because he's more dangerous dead, we can't incarcerate him in fear that someone would kill him, we can't throw him on a prison planet in fear that he take over, we can't cut him loose in fear of him causing wanton destruction throughout space and time, which is only marginally better than if he was dead. So what can be done, other than having him tag along with us so we can keep an optic on him?"

"And why are you taking it so personally, Sky?" Cavalier questioned.

"He feels responsible," Octane explained. "Always been the level-headed one in our group, the voice of reason."

Skyfire was slow to respond, but nodded after a five click silence. "Starscream persuaded me to leave him on the _Warworld_ and give him the chance to overtake the ship without risking our lives. I was supposed to retreat with Artemis, then give him five sols to complete his objective; if we did not hear from him within that time frame, assume the worse."

"He's taken over the ship and going to attack Iacon while its defences are down?" Cavalier suggested.

"Dammit, Sky, for a brilliant scientist, you sure are a sentimental idiot!" Octane groaned.

"As much as I hate the gashole as much as the next person, we're forgetting something here," Sandstorm pointed out. "One, Sky was told to take Art and run; why did that fall through?"

"Because I insisted on staying," Artemis grumbled. "I wasn't going to leave a 'bot behind, especially if he knew a fraction of our plans."

"Then why take him with you?" Cavalier demanded.

Artemis rubbed her face, tracing the graft marks where the medics had repaired the damage. "Because could I trust him if I left him here with you and Octane? Or you and Sandstorm? Or Sandstorm and Octane?"

"He's less likely to stab those two in the back, in other words," Octane explained. "Marginally, I should add. He would have killed you and Sandy outright, Brat. Might do me the honours too, if not just puncture my spark casing to bleed out while you guys watch. Art and Sky know how to read him — usually. Hard telling — he's always been unpredictable."

"Why do we need the _Warworld_ , anyway?" Cavalier groused, resting her chin on her knuckles as she leaned against the console. "We've got Omega Supreme and Metroplex and — "

"Are you willing to sacrifice them to get Hot Rod back?" Artemis interrupted. "Are you forgetting why you wanted to come along with us in the first place? The _Warworld_ is the only ship outside the metrotitans and guardians with the necessary engine output to break through and bring him back. Are you willing you destroy a sparked Autobot to save another? Do you think Hot Rod would do that when there's another way?"

Cavalier said nothing.

"By Primus, she can be silenced!" Octane exclaimed. Sandstorm punched his shoulder.

"So what are we going to — " Sandstorm was interrupted when Octane threw a right hook, catching the orange and black Autobot square in the jaw. As they locked into fisticuffs, Artemis sunk into her chair pressing her palms to her optics. 

"If you two gasholes would mind not fighting when I don't have the energy to break it up...!" she snarled. "Sky, have you contacted Roadbuster yet?"

Perturbed by his teammates' scuffle, Skyfire pulled them apart, keeping them at full arms' spread. "What we are going to do, Sandstorm, Octane, is stay ahead of Starscream. There are three ways this will happen: one, Starscream is killed, which could be his intention all along; two, Starscream convinces the crew to do his bidding, and they attempt to attack Cybertron; or three, Starscream convinces the crew to do his bidding, betrays them, and delivers the _Warworld_ to us, as promised."

"I'm voting for option two," Octane raised his hand.

"Which is what we're planning for," Artemis added.

Skyfire nodded. "We are to return to Cybertron immediately; once there, we will remain in orbit until we receive word from the _Warworld_ , or we are able to ascertain its whereabouts. And to answer your previous question, Artemis, yes, I have received word from Roadbuster; he has a squadron of Wreckers primed and ready at your command."

"How many?" Sandstorm demanded, returning to his chair.

Skyfire cleared his throat. "Twelve. Including us."

Sandstorm was about to protest when Octane beat him to the draw. "Believe me when I'm saying that's going to be more than enough to take down whatever's in that monstrosity."

"I just pray it doesn't come to that." Taking his place at the pilot's station, Skyfire brought up the board and programmed the destination. 

"Totally off-topic," Cavalier interjected, "but this has been bugging me. Why bring Art here to the aft-crack of the universe, Sky?"

"It was the closest medical outpost to our position." He delivered the information as though reading from a script.

Artemis sensed it as well, but did not press the topic.

Skyfire, of all 'bots, had an ulterior motive.

 

NEXT CHAPTER: Scour + Devour


End file.
